A happy holiday season to you and yours!
Be a Hero: Vote
11 years ago
Friday, December 23, 2005
The Narrative Instinct
Sometimes you see something, in an unexpected place, some little, passing idea, that makes one more piece of the cosmic puzzle fall into place. Perhaps it will mean nothing to you, but for me, it is a critical piece of understanding both the universe and my own nature.
The New Yorker: FAR FROM NARNIA: "The day we sat down at the Eagle and Child, Pullman told me about a speech he had delivered in May, 2004, at a colloquium on science, literature, and human nature. In the speech, he speculated on the possible origins of this "very clear and strong" sense he has that there is, inherently, "a right shape and a wrong shape" for any given story. Where do these shapes come from, and how can he recognize them with such certainty? Not surprisingly, Pullman rejects the notion that he's receiving direction from some "higher power" when he apprehends that the story he's working on is either whole or broken. His certainty might be a sophisticated form of cultural conditioning, he supposes, or simply the gift of experience. Because Pullman is an admirer of "The Language Instinct," the book by the evolutionary psychologist Steven Pinker, I suggested that, if linguistic grammar is hardwired, perhaps a grammar of narrative is, too. "I don't think that's implausible, but we just don't know," he said."
If you don't know Pinker, get yourself directly over to your local library, better yet to amazon.com and load up, starting with "How The Mind Works" and yes, "The Language Instinct." Oh, and don't forget, "The Blank Slate," where Pinker postulates that we may also have built in modules for ethics as well, centered on the key concept of fairness.
Do we sense the shape of a tale? Do we know a bad story from a good? Damn straight we do! And I don't believe it's just a matter of conditioning. Humans are story tellers and hunger equally for a good tale. And we know when a story is rightly told. Mr. Pullman does indeed know this, the part of telling a good story, that is. We'll have to leave it to Mr. Pinker to ferret out the actual hardware for making it all work.
Thanks to Hedwig for pointing out this excellent article.
his dark materials, new yorker, steven pinker
The New Yorker: FAR FROM NARNIA: "The day we sat down at the Eagle and Child, Pullman told me about a speech he had delivered in May, 2004, at a colloquium on science, literature, and human nature. In the speech, he speculated on the possible origins of this "very clear and strong" sense he has that there is, inherently, "a right shape and a wrong shape" for any given story. Where do these shapes come from, and how can he recognize them with such certainty? Not surprisingly, Pullman rejects the notion that he's receiving direction from some "higher power" when he apprehends that the story he's working on is either whole or broken. His certainty might be a sophisticated form of cultural conditioning, he supposes, or simply the gift of experience. Because Pullman is an admirer of "The Language Instinct," the book by the evolutionary psychologist Steven Pinker, I suggested that, if linguistic grammar is hardwired, perhaps a grammar of narrative is, too. "I don't think that's implausible, but we just don't know," he said."
If you don't know Pinker, get yourself directly over to your local library, better yet to amazon.com and load up, starting with "How The Mind Works" and yes, "The Language Instinct." Oh, and don't forget, "The Blank Slate," where Pinker postulates that we may also have built in modules for ethics as well, centered on the key concept of fairness.
Do we sense the shape of a tale? Do we know a bad story from a good? Damn straight we do! And I don't believe it's just a matter of conditioning. Humans are story tellers and hunger equally for a good tale. And we know when a story is rightly told. Mr. Pullman does indeed know this, the part of telling a good story, that is. We'll have to leave it to Mr. Pinker to ferret out the actual hardware for making it all work.
Thanks to Hedwig for pointing out this excellent article.
his dark materials, new yorker, steven pinker
Will VideoBlogging Become Mainstream?
Recently I discovered that my TiVO (relegated to the living room TV since it doesn't do High Definition) now offers several web options, including the daily video blog, RocketBoom.
It's completely low end TV, but I'll give you this: Amanda Congdon is the Giada Delaurentis of video blogging.
A little cleavage never hurt an otherwise boring presentation.
video blog, rocketboom, food network, amanda congdon, giada de laurentis
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Snoopgate: It's now official - George Bush is a felon.
I'm not shocked, but I'm saddened at the revelation the the President has authorized the illegal spying on US citizens. Such arrogance. All he had to do was get a warrant - they were easily available. But Bush and his crew have decided that as President, he can do anything he pleases.
This is not the case. It is now the duty of Congress to investigate and impeach. The President has by his own admission, broken the law over 30 times. Is this not more serious than lying about sex?
I, personally, am fed up with this administration. It's no longer just about politics and culture. This is about the rule of law, our constitution, and the true separation of powers.
snoopgate, Politics
This is not the case. It is now the duty of Congress to investigate and impeach. The President has by his own admission, broken the law over 30 times. Is this not more serious than lying about sex?
I, personally, am fed up with this administration. It's no longer just about politics and culture. This is about the rule of law, our constitution, and the true separation of powers.
snoopgate, Politics
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